A snow clearing operation is currently underway in Montreal as the first significant snowfall of the season blankets the city.

With the Montreal region expecting around 15 centimetres of snow, and many drivers don’t have their winter tires on yet. Officials from Transport Quebec are urging those drivers to stay off the roads unless it's urgent.

As many as 1,000 snow and salt vehicles have been dispatched to get snow off the city's roads, after about 400 mechanics worked over the past few weeks to ensure they were ready.

Snow removal priority will be given to the roads and sidewalks near hospitals, schools, and bus and metro stations.

Streets will be cleared but the city won't actually remove the snow this time because it's unlikely to stay on the ground, explained Montreal city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin.

“In November we usually won't retrieve the snow. It happened only once in the past 20 years,” said Sabourin, adding that they are keeping a close eye on conditions before making a decision. “If it’s required, we’ll do it.”

Novembers can be snowy, however. Environment Canada says one out of four times the first 15 centimetres hits before Dec. 1.

“Now it's happening in mid-November, so it's quite early, but some people may remember that in 1988 on Oct. 22 we had 21 centimetres of snow,” said Marie-Eve Giguere of Environment Canada.

The snow is expected to continue falling through the day Friday. The temperature will rise slightly to feel like -5 in the afternoon. A few more flurries are expected around midnight.

East of Montreal, regions could see 15 to 30 centimetres in total.

 

School bus crash

The deadline to install winter tires in Quebec is a month away, on Dec. 15, and Transport Quebec is warning drivers that don’t have them installed to stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary.

Road accidents are being reported, including a school bus crash Highway 15 in St. Jerome.

The bus went off the road while around 9 a.m. while taking a ramp and fell onto its side, coming to a halt perpendicular to the roadway near an overpass.

Two children were taken to hospital for what police called "preventive measures," but officers said the injuries were not serious.

Another school bus was dispatched to the scene to bring the pupils to Lafontaine Academy, a private school.